A group of 10 buildings designed by Wright have become the first works of modern architecture nominated by the United States to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.

Just in time for our event Out and About Wright: Wright and Modernism in Indiana, May 1-3, the John E. Christian House--Samara (1954) has been named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Conservancy is seeking presenters and panelists for its upcoming conference, September 30-October 4, 2015, at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The deadline to submit proposals is March 1, 2015.

It's official: The 25th anniversary conference in Phoenix is one of the most anticipated in the Conservancy's history. To be added to the wait list, please email preservation@savewright.org with the subject line WAIT LIST -- GENERAL CONFERENCE and your name(s) and the events you wish to attend. You will be contacted should space become available.

Conservancy conference attendees will have the chance to bid on tickets to the classic car show Arizona Concours d'Elegance, which will feature a special class of automobiles owned by Frank Lloyd Wright, at our silent auction fundraiser.

Registration is now open for the Conservancy's five-day conference, Oct. 29-Nov. 2 in Phoenix, headquartered at the Arizona Biltmore and featuring private tours of six rarely seen Wright-designed houses.

We needed something special to mark the Conservancy's silver anniversary, so we loaded a double-size issue of SaveWright with articles exploring the relationship of Wright's architecture to the historic preservation movement in the U.S., an oral history of our "saves" over 25 years, the details behind the effort to save the Wright House and much more.

A new web-based digitized collection of archival architectural and construction trade catalogs, house plan books and related publications gives anyone concerned about the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright a new way to look at construction technology, design influences and even products designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

On Feb 26 the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), released a discussion draft tax reform bill that calls for the repeal of the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit. This tax credit is perhaps the most important and successful federal financial incentive for the preservation and adaptive reuse of income-producing historic properties.

The Winslow House (1893) in River Forest, Illinois, is iconic. The elegant symmetry of the Sullivanesque street façade and distinctive leaded glass characterize Wright’s first independent commission at age 26. Wright called it “the first ‘prairie house’.” On the market now for the first time in 57 years, the house has been owned by five families during its 120 year history, and the fifth family recently welcomed back the offspring of the original owner, William Herman Winslow.

The Bachman Wilson House (Wright 1954) in Millstone, New Jersey, has a new owner. Soon it will also have a new home… in the Ozarks.

Battered by previous floods and threatened with increased frequency and intensity of flooding from the nearby Millstone River, the Bachman Wilson House was offered for sale in 2012 by the longtime owners, architect Lawrence Tarantino AIA and Sharon Tarantino, with the stipulation that the house be relocated to a new site. Instead of possibly moving the house to Fiesole, Italy, as once reported in the New York Times, the building will instead be disassembled, packed into containers and travel down half a dozen interstates before reaching its final destination of Bentonville, Arkansas, and the campus of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Last year may already be in the books but as we look back on 2013 there are a lot of things to celebrate. From architectural tours and special events across the country to advocacy and education activities the Conservancy is looking forward to another great year of preservation in 2014.

For every preservation success the Conservancy helps foster there can also be tragedy. Threats to Wright buildings include intentional direct demolition, slow deterioration leading to eventual claims that the building is unsalvageable or encirclement by inappropriate development that diminishes the building and its site. Amidst all these preservation challenges, we seek your help at year-end because you are one of the key ingredients in our capability to confront and deter these threats and to succeed in our educational programming.

It's not easy to encapsulate 16 speakers and 11 Wright-designed houses but for those of you who missed the Conservancy's annual conference, Wright on the Inside, summaries of all three days (plus the post-conference tour) are now available.

The Conservancy learned recently that a new buyer for the A. D. German Warehouse (1916-1921) had stepped forward from among the residents of Richland Center, Wisconsin. The property was purchased from the estate of Harvey Glanzer and closed on August 15. The new owner will be working with a group of Richland Center citizens and institutions who are organizing to develop plans for strategic and financial planning, fundraising, restoration, partnering on adaptive use and future operations. The Conservancy began an initiative in May 2012 to chart a path for a new owner and a new future for the Warehouse, bringing together a group of interested parties and local citizens. The current steering committee includes several individuals from this group.

Don't miss your opportunity to join the Conservancy on Saturday, July 13 for a tour of Bruce Goff's incomparable Ford House. Sidney Robinson, longtime owner and professor emeritus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and University of Illinois at Chicago, will be present to talk about the house and answer questions. Light food and refreshments for the afternoon will be provided.

While the name George Nelson immediately invokes images of iconic mid-century furniture and accessories, it should also call up the equally elegant clean-lines and beautiful balance of his architecture. Sign up for the post-conference tour (Sunday, October 20) and experience Nelson's Kirkpatrick House in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as part of a tour that will also include a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Mossberg House (1948) and en exterior only viewing of Wright's DeRhodes House (1906).

After rescuing the David and Gladys Wright House in late December 2012, the new owners are taking steps to fulfill their objective of sharing this unique Wright building and site with a larger audience in the future. The owners, who prefer to maintain their privacy for the time being, recently briefed the Conservancy about the completion of a general site clean-up. The new owner is working towards obtaining the various city authorizations needed to open the house to the public as a house museum. A newly formed non-profit organization stands ready to take ownership and manage the house and site once the city permits and authorizations are obtained, which could happen by the end of the year.

The Conservancy is coming to the nation's capital on June 29 to explore Wright's work in the metropolitan DC Area and after initially selling out, an additional bus has been added for Destination DC. Join the Conservancy on tours of three Wright-designed houses in the metropolitan DC Area: The Robert Llewlyn Wright House (1953) in Bethesda, Maryland; the Luis Marden House (1952) in McLean, Virginia; and the Pope-Leighey House (1939) in Alexandria, Virginia.

In June 2012, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy became aware that the current lease of the Hoffman Auto Showroom by Mercedes was ending in December. Despite the Conservancy's efforts, along with the support of DOCOMOMO NY/Tri-State and the Historic Districts Council, the showroom at 430 Park Avenue was gutted during March 28 to April 3. Although altered twice over the years, when it was destroyed it still retained the central and distinctive Wright-designed elements of the spiral ramp and turntable.

After Potential Demolition, A Bright Future for the David Wright House

When previous owners threatened to demolish the David Wright House last year, there was an international outcry. The new owners are deeply interested in Wright’s architecture and absolutely committed to preserving the house. Phoenix attorney Grady Gammage, Jr. has been hired to represent the new ownership. The family strongly prefers to remain anonymous. Mr. Gammage and representatives of the ownership have begun meetings with members of the neighborhood to discuss plans. The intent is to fully restore the home, including the interior furnishings and the famous circular rug, and to plant the landscape as Wright had originally intended. Once it is restored, the house will be opened for tours by small groups of school children, architecture students and the public.

Transitions in ownership can present exciting new opportunities as well as significant threats to Wright properties. Finding new stewards who understand and appreciate these structures is crucial to the buildings’ longevity. Although the David Wright House was highly publicized because of the very real danger of the house being demolished, other Wright on the Market properties have also made headlines this year.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is enormously gratified that the David and Gladys Wright House is now in the hands of a new owner intent on preservation rather than potential development. This benefactor who rescued the site through a December 20 purchase is now involved in careful planning for the house and its new educational mission. In the first half of 2013 a newly formed not-for-profit, working with the benefactor, will develop a vision for the house and the site, a comprehensive restoration plan and a more detailed use and operating plan. The Conservancy continues to be a part of these discussions.

Christmas came a little early this year.Culminating six months of intensive work and many ups and downs, we can finally announce that this unique and important Wright house is safe!The Conservancy has facilitated the purchase of the David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix through an LLC owned by an anonymous benefactor.The transaction closed on December 20 for an undisclosed price. The property will be transferred to an Arizona not-for-profit organization responsible for the restoration, maintenance and operation of the David Wright House.

Join the Conservancy on Saturday, February 16 for an all-day tour of Florida Southern College, including all ten of Wright’s original structures. Additional events will include an optional Sunday tour of several homes in the architectural mecca of Sarasota as well as a Friday evening leadership circle reception at Paul Rudolph's stunning Umbrella House, described as “One of the five most remarkable houses of the mid twentieth century” by Architectural Digest.

The Phoenix City Council voted on Dec. 5 to delay a vote on the David Wright House until January 16, but that date could also change. There were some complications noted with council members' schedules that may force a revised date. Stay tuned. In the meantime, the Conservancy and its special taskforce continue to work behind-the-scenes talking with Council members, working with the mayor’s office and developing additional possible buyers. The process has become a marathon, instead of a sprint, and the Conservancy has developed a great working group of local experts and committed Phoenix residents.

The path to new ownership for the David and Gladys Wright House took another turn on November 12. The full purchase price offer that was announced on October 31 was withdrawn by the potential buyer who remains unnamed publicly as well as unknown to the Conservancy. Simultaneously and together with our Phoenix partner organizations we continue to seek City Council approval of landmark designation for the building. The next Council vote is scheduled for December 5

As expected the Phoenix City Council voted on November 7 to delay the vote on Landmark designation for the David and Gladys Wright House. The item will come back to the agenda at the December 5 meeting. Because of a pending contract to purchase the David Wright House (by a still unnamed buyer) the Council postponed action with the hope that the pending sale will close before the next meeting and that owner consent will be obtained, thereby avoiding a conflict over the past practice of obtaining consent prior to designation. Once again Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was very supportive of preservation.

Over 400 participants, homeowners and volunteers took part in the Conservancy's annual conference in Mason City, Iowa. Highlights of the conference included a benefit dinner at the recently restored Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank (1909-1910) as well as tours of several other Wright structures: Stockman House (1908); Walter House (1945); Grant House (1946); and Miller House (1946). The conference culminated in the presentation of the Wright Spirit Awards, the Conservancy's highest honor, at a gala dinner on Saturday, October 13

Three formal City of Phoenix commissions/committees have recommended Landmark designation for the David and Gladys Wright House. The next step is a decision on November 7 by the Phoenix City Council, comprised of eight council members and the mayor. The Conservancy and its local partners continue to work for Council approval of Landmark status. In addition we are working out of the spotlight to seek additional buyer/buyers for the property. Prior offers have been made but rejected by the owners. If granted Landmark status any demolition permit would be delayed for three years allowing time to find a lasting solution.

The Conservancy continues to work closely with the City of Phoenix, the office of Mayor Greg Stanton and local preservationists in Phoenix to find a solution to counteract developers threats to demolish the David and Gladys Wright House. For the current situation,Click Here

A VERY POSITIVE STEP! On September 17, 2012 the Historic Preservation Commission of the city of Phoenix voted unanimously to recommend landmark designation for the David and Gladys Wright House. That is the first of three bodies that will provide recommendations before the City Council makes the decision on November 7. The Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation is key to support for landmarking the building but the recommendations from the Camelback East Village Planning Committee and the city’s Planning Commission (on Oct 2 and Oct 9 respectively) also are extremely important. The Conservancy and its local partners continue to work to secure these additional recommendations and to secure city council approval of landmark status. Landmark status means any demolition permit would be delayed for three years. Critical to our efforts are more signatures on the petition – please sign today and ask your friends and associates to help save this house by adding their voices. Also if you haven’t already sent a letter please do so. You can do both – sign the petition and send a letter. The numbers of letters and signatures are reported to these bodies and they do have an impact! Click here for how to address the letters. In the meantime the Conservancy is also in discussions with potential buyers.

In late May, the Conservancy learned of a pending and potentially disastrous change in ownership for the David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, working in the public arena and with national and local preservation groups as well as laboring behind the scenes, the Conservancy jumped into action to save the building and its site. Despite initial public statements by the new owners that they would not demolish the house, the developers have recently indicated that “it’s not a given that the house can be preserved.” With possibly less than sixty days remaining to secure the building’s future the Conservancy is searching for a new owner and simultaneously working for local historic designation status.

On May 5, the Conservancy's Out and About Wright: Prairie Architecture in the Illinois Heartland took participants for tours in Springfield and Decatur, Illinois.Between architectural tours of the Dana-Thomas House (Wright 1902-1904), Lawrence Memorial Library (Wright 1905), Irving House (Wright 1909), Robert Mueller House (Marion Mahony 1909-1911) and Adoph Mueller House (Marion Mahony 1910), a presentation by Mike Jackson, FAIA, on the restoration of the Dana-Thomas House and an evening reception at the Dana-Thomas House as the sun began to set, it was difficult for participants to select their favorite part of the event.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has embarked upon several strategies to continue to expand membership and clarify member benefits. The first phase involved new communication and publications methods and the addition of an efficient new member database. We also implemented consistent discounted member pricing and increased the number of special educational and experiential events available to Conservancy members. As of June 1, updated membership levels and benefits will be in effect.